The results obtained demonstrate that the lasing dynamics reflects the current dynamics formed as a result of complex nonlinear couplings within the laser-thyristor heterostructure. The observed specific features mainly result from the appearance of new channels for generation of excess carriers in the p-base. These channels enhance the main optical activation channel formed by the photogeneration due to the absorption of the spontaneous emission from the active region of the laser part of the heterostructure. The additional channels of excess carrier generation may have an optical nature in the case of scattered laser light upon appearance of new high-Q modes. For nearly critical blocked voltages, generation of carriers can be initiated by an avalanche multiplication of photogenerated carriers.

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Experimental static and dynamic electro-optical characteristics of 905 nm high power mesastripe semiconductor laser diodes based on an AlGaAs/GaAs asymmetric heterostructure operating under Fabry-Perot cavity mode quenching have been investigated. We have shown that Fabry-Perot cavity mode reversible turn-off is due to the fulfillment of a high-Q closed mode threshold condition. The mode is propagating along both gain and passive areas of the laser diode and characterized by nearly zero output optical losses. We have demonstrated that fundamental reasons of closed mode threshold condition fulfillment are (i) gain spectra shift in the long wavelength region due to band gap shrinkage and thermal heating effects and (ii) the band gap absorption decrease in the passive area. It has been shown that the process of closed mode turn-on consists of two stages. In the first stage, Fabry-Perot cavity modes and closed modes are lasing simultaneously under high residual band gap absorption in the passive area. In the second stage, closed mode optical losses become lower than Fabry-Perot cavity mode optical losses due to a positive feedback between the residual absorption and closed mode photon stimulated generation rate. This results in an accumulation of photogenerated carriers in the quantum well active region of the laser diode passive area. As a result, the threshold concentration in the gain area decreases providing lasing emission switching from the Fabry-Perot cavity mode to the closed mode.

The effect of a local current turn-on in the heterostructure plane has been observed for low-voltage lasers-thyristors. It was shown that the spatial dynamics of the current-turn-on region is determined by the blocking voltage and the control current amplitude. For the first mode (blocking voltages up to 15 V), the current nonuniformity in the heterostructure plane is determined by the flux distribution of the spontaneous emission from the active region in the laser part to the side of the p-base of the phototransistor part of the heterostructure. The transition to the second mode (blocking voltages exceeding 15 V) is due to the sharp rise in the generation rate of excess carriers in the p-base of the phototransistor part of the heterostructure. In this case, the size of the region in which the original current turn-on occurs decreases to 70 μm. It was found that the rate at which the current-turn-on region expands depends on the working conditions of the laser part of the laser-thyristor and is 50 and 20 μm/ns for the spontaneous generation and lasing modes, respectively. It was also found that the spatial dynamics of the current determines the spatial dynamics of the laser light turn-on in the lateral waveguide and the emission efficiency in generation of short (<10 ns) laser pulses. It was demonstrated that, at low control currents, the main contribution to the decrease in the emission efficiency is made by the residual optical loss in the turned-off part of the laser-thyristor. At higher amplitudes of the control current, the emission efficiency grows due to the decrease in the residual loss in the turned-off part of the laser-thyristor, which made it possible to raise the peak power to 47 W for 100-ns laser pulses.

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This letter shows an experimentally studied approach that increases injection efficiency of high-power laser thyristors emitting in the 890-910 nm spectral band. The developed laser thyristors exhibit 43-W maximum peak output power of laser pulses at 95-nm full width at half maximum duration. At the same time, the maximum amplitude of the current pulse generated in the laser-thyristor circuit reached 90 A.Index Terms-Laser-thyristor, semiconductor laser, thyristor heterostructure.

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